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Finnish start-up Sulapac is the winner of the 2017 Green Alley Award, Europe’s first founder’s prize for start-ups in the circular economy.

With their packaging solution made of wood and natural adhesives, the two Finnish natives Suvi Haimi and Laura Kyllönen offer a stylish, but eco-friendly alternative to plastic packaging. In total, six finalists from Germany, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and France presented themselves in live pitches to an international jury and audience.

“The decision was not an easy one, but we agreed on Sulapac in the end because of its huge impact on one of the biggest problems of our times – plastic waste. Sulapac has developed a high-quality material that meets the diverse challenges of today’s market. Just one year old, the start-up demonstrates how an idea can be successfully implemented and accelerated in a very short time. In Finland, for example, the cosmetics line Niki Newd is already using jars by Sulapac for its products. We see great potential in this packaging solution and look forward to seeing Sulapac on the shelves of local drugstores.” explains Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group.

Other finalists included Mimergy and its technology to reduce waste of tyres worldwide, Solmove and its solar streets, Newcy and its reusable cup system, Sulfotools and its green alternative for peptide production and Sustonable and their composite stone for kitchens and bathrooms. Before the final pitch, all finalists attended workshops with experts from the waste industry and start-up world, where they discussed the potentials, risks, strengths, and weaknesses of the start-ups. The prize for the winner, Sulapac, consists of cash and non-cash items valued at 30,000 euros.

Since 2014, the Landbell Group has been honouring ideas relating to waste and resource management with the annual Green Alley Award. The award partners are as follows: crowdfunding platform Seedmatch, London accelerator programme Bethnal Green Ventures, ERP Finland, and the EU-funded Horizon 2020 project, R2Pi.

The fourth Green Alley Award received a total of more than 200 applications from over 40 countries.

Further information about the Green Alley Award and all finalists, along with images for download, can be found at the Green Alley website (see Related Links below).

About the Green Alley Award

The Green Alley Award is given annually to European founders and start-ups from the circular economy. The award is organised by the Landbell Group with the support of a network of international partners from the circular economy and European start-up scene. Germany’s crowdfunding pioneer Seedmatch has been involved from the start in 2014; other partners include Bethnal Green Ventures, the British accelerator program for tech-oriented start-ups in the environmental and social sectors, and R2Pi, a Horizon 2020 project and a Landbell Group Company.